Extra-regional think tanks not allowed to decide West Asia’s fate

TABNAK, May. 18 - Iran’s foreign minister has decried the international silence on Israel’s genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza , saying the ongoing crisis in the besieged territory proves that the fate of the region should not be tied to the decisions made at the think tanks of extra-regional powers.

News ID: 6426

Date: 18 May 2025 - 20:13

Abbas Araghchi made the statement at the annual meeting of the Tehran Dialogue Forum in the Iranian capital on Sunday as he pointed to the Israeli regime’s massacre of tens of thousands of Gazans and the displacement of millions of others under stringent siege since October 2023.

“It is regrettable that the world failed to respond adequately and responsibly to this crime. The heavy silence and inaction of powers that claim to be the defenders of ‘human conscience’, alongside the inability of international institutions to contain this catastrophe, is truly shocking and a global wake-up call,” Araghchi said.

“For the first time in decades, a historic opportunity has arisen for the initiative in regional developments to be in the hands of the countries of the region themselves, instead of external actors,” he added.

“Our nations can open a new path for development, peace, and cooperation by reclaiming the right to self-determination and designing a future based on their collective will; a future that is shaped not in the think tanks of extra-regional powers but in regional capitals and based on local needs, values, and realities.”

The top Iranian diplomat underlined that peace and security in the West Asian region are not possible without a “candid, deep, and comprehensive” review of the Palestinian issue.

“Today, the Palestinian issue is the most important and urgent matter on the regional agenda. For over 70 years, the land of Palestine has been gripped by occupation, oppression, and injustice,” Araghchi said.

“The reality is that the Israeli regime has become a chronic threat to regional peace and stability; a threat that at the same time encompasses occupation, apartheid, genocide, and access to an arsenal of weapons of mass destruction.”

The head of Iran’s diplomatic apparatus underscored the necessity of organizing a national referendum among all Palestinians that would put an end to Israel’s decades-long occupation.

“We propose a peaceful solution to the Palestine issue: holding a national referendum with the participation of all original inhabitants of the land of Palestine—including Muslims, Christians, and Jews—to decide on the future political system of this land,” Araghchi said.

“The democratic and comprehensive solution, inspired by the successful experience of fighting apartheid in South Africa, can terminate decades of occupation, discrimination, and injustice and pave the way for the return of refugees and the formation of a unified, inclusive state across historical Palestine.”

Israel’s merciless war machine has since October 2023 claimed the lives of more than 53,270 Palestinians, and left north of 120,670 others injured.

Thousands of victims are also feared trapped under rubble, deprived of access to emergency and civil defense teams due to Israel’s unceasing attacks.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Araghchi touched on the indirect Iran-US talks regarding the Islamic Republic’s peaceful nuclear program and reiterated that Tehran has never sought nuclear weapons based on its religious and ethical principles, PressTV eported.

“Alongside regional issues, another important dimension of Iran's current foreign policy is the issue of our peaceful nuclear program and the unilateral and brutal sanctions imposed against the Iranian nation by the United States,” he said.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran, as a party to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), based on its religious and ethical principles, has never sought and does not seek nuclear weapons and adheres to the principle of not producing and using weapons of mass destruction.”

Araghchi also underlined that the Islamic Republic has always tried to address legitimate international concerns about the country's nuclear program through interaction and transparency.

Iran has held four rounds of indirect talks with the US on the issue of its peaceful nuclear program, with both sides describing the Omani-brokered negotiations as positive.

The two-day Tehran Dialogue Forum is held at the Institute for Political and International Studies of the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

The event has convened 200 delegations, including high-ranking officials from 53 countries, ministers and decision-makers from the Persian Gulf region, as well as representatives of the United Nations.